The present invention relates generally to weather forecasting and warning systems. More particularly, the invention provides a method and apparatus for receiving weather forecast information in a vehicle and using that information to warn a vehicle operator of a future weather hazard with respect to the specific vehicle""s intended direction of travel.
Vehicle operators, such as automobile drivers, frequently tune to radio stations while traveling in order to obtain weather forecast information. Such forecasts generally cover a large geographic area, such as an entire county or a multi-county region, and can provide some indication to the vehicle operator of likely weather trouble, such as a flash flood or tornado. Because they cover such large areas, however, generalized weather forecasts may cause wasteful evasive action by drivers not realistically at risk. For example, if the National Weather Service issues a flash flood warning for an entire county, all drivers in the county may need to heed the warning, even if the flood areas make up only a small part of the county.
Similarly, if a sudden snowstorm approaches from the west, a large number of drivers may take evasive action based on a general weather forecast for cities in the path of the approaching storm. Depending on where the drivers are relative to the weather hazard, some drivers may feel the effects of the storm shortly after the warning, while others may not be in the path of the storm for 10, 20, or even 30 minutes. Providing drivers with more accurate and vehicle-specific weather forecasts could result in substantial time and energy savings. For example, if a driver is heading West and is projected to arrive at his destination within 20 minutes, it would be helpful to know that the storm will not arrive at the intended destination for another 30 minutes. Such a system would be particularly useful for fleets of commercial trucks or buses, for example, particularly since such vehicles may be more susceptible to causing injury or property damage during severe weather events (e.g., snow, ice storms, and the like).
Various position-sensitive automated vehicle systems have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,991,687 (xe2x80x9cSystem and Method for Communicating Information Related to a Geographic Areaxe2x80x9d) describes a system for displaying the location of a vehicle to the vehicle operator, along with other information such as a weather map. However, the system cannot provide the sort of information that would pen-nit a vehicle operator to determine whether he or she was likely to encounter a weather hazard and for how long such a hazard might last.
Another system, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,374 (xe2x80x9cApparatus for and Method of Controlling Vehicular Systems While Travellingxe2x80x9d), assists a vehicle operator by automatically controlling the vehicle in response to various detected conditions and an intended travel position. One variation of the system extracts current weather information and uses the information to sound an alarm. The system, however, does not provide predicted weather information to the vehicle operator; it does not provide hazard duration information; and it does not provide weather information tailored to the particular vehicle. Consequently, the system does not solve the a aforementioned problems.
Yet another system, described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,699 (xe2x80x9cSystems and Methods for Distributing Real-Time Site Specific Weather Informationxe2x80x9d), reports weather forecasts through the use of storm profiles that are transmitted to remote units at dispersed geographic sites. The remote units are stationary, and storm profiles are transmitted to remote units based on their geographic location. The system has no application for use with moving vehicles, as it cannot receive information concerning the mobile location of such vehicles.
The aforementioned problems give rise to the solutions provided by the present invention.
The invention provides a system and method for receiving weather forecast information in a vehicle and using that information to warn a vehicle operator of a future weather hazard with reference to the vehicle""s intended direction of travel. In one embodiment, a weather forecasting center maintains a database and display of weather hazards (current and predicted) across a large area, such as the entire United States and adjacent coastal waters. The forecasting center also receives information regarding the location of each of a plurality of vehicles, such as automobiles or a fleet of commercial trucks.
A hazard location algorithm compares a forecast location of each vehicle with a forecast weather hazard and transmits a warning to each vehicle that is predicted to encounter the hazard. The warning can take the form of text, audio, and/or a visual display indicating, for example, that the vehicle will likely encounter heavy snow in approximately 30 minutes, and that the heavy snow will last for approximately 45 minutes. As the vehicle moves, its actual position is updated in the forecasting center, and a revised warning is transmitted to the vehicle. The warning can be conveyed to the vehicle in terms of mile posts, railroad stations, waypoints, Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range Stations (VORs), etc.
In one variation, the location of the vehicle can be extracted from a data stream (e.g., an aircraft situation display data stream obtained from the FAA), instead of being transmitted from each vehicle. Vehicle operators can file a trip plan with the forecasting center, such that the predicted future location can be compared to an actual location. Information relating to pavement temperatures and other local measurements can be provided to the prediction center and used to help generate warnings to vehicle operators. Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reading the following detailed description, figures, and claims.